TVA and Univ of TN / Chattanooga is scheduling a one day off season FIRST Robotics event on Saturday, Oct 24. The expectation is that there will be 15 to 20 teams and they’re using the practice field from GAFIRST. If you would like to help, please reply to Charlie Spencer at cwspencer@tva.gov and he will compile a list and get you more info.

On June 29, 2015, Maria L. Crowe will speak at the Technical Society of Knoxville(TSK) weekly luncheon on the importance of STEM education and how TSK can support STEM activities.

Maria is an algebra and geometry teacher at the newest Knox County High School, the Career Magnet Academy. Last year, during CMA’s first year of existence, Maria started a USFIRST Robotics team that successfully competed at the Smokey Mountain Regionals, Knoxville, earlier this year. Maria is also a faculty representative of CMA’s advanced manufacturing pathway, that seeks to prepare CMA freshmen for advanced manufacturing opportunities in the local area.

Maria has a B.S., General Engineering, from the U.S. Naval Academy (class of ’88), and an M.S., Engineering Management, George Washington University. She spent seven years on active duty, serving in various information systems management positions with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) as a contracting officer, National Defense University (NDU) as an assistant professor of systems management, and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Operations Support Division as a program manager for the evolution of the outdated Worldwide Military Command and Control System (WWMMCS) to the new Operation Support System (OSS), the primary DoD Joint Command and Control Information System.

After spending 15 years homeschooling three children and teaching physics and chemistry at various homeschool co-ops, Maria was hired last April to teach math at CMA.
She moved to Knoxville with her husband and children in July 2011, and continues to pursue a passion to provide STEM opportunities to students, to better prepare them for the growing number of jobs in technology in the Knoxville area.

On June 22, 2015, Knoxville Utilities Board Engineering Manager Gabriel J. Bolas PE will speak on Engineering in KUB. Mr. Bolas is Energy Systems Engineering Manager at Knoxville Utilities Board and was Electric Systems Engineering Manager for many years. He holds a BS degree in electrical engineering and a MS degree in engineering/industrial management from the University of Tennessee.(PDH)

On June 15, 2015, Robert G. Campbell PE will be the Technical Society of Knoxville speaker. He is currently completing a four year term as a member of the Tennessee State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners. Anyone who is practicing engineering or architecture or who is interested in these professions is welcome to take this opportunity to learn about any changes in the state regulation of the professions.(PDH)

Mr. Campbell is a consulting engineer with Robert G. Campbell and Associates. The firm was founded by his father in 1981 and it describes itself as “Robert G. Campbell and Associates designs diverse projects representative of our clients, our expertise and the firms ability with precision and value”. They have worked in surveying and development services on subdivisions, highway engineering, sanitary and environmental fields and are currently expanding in the GPS/GIS field. RGC&A continues to work and expand in the general civil engineering field with services in highway/transportation, water/wastewater, land development and surveying.

On June 8, 2015 the speaker for the Technical Society of Knoxville will be Alexandra Brownfield, the Executive Director of Volunteer Knoxville. She will speak about her organization which has as one goal “Connecting Volunteers to Volunteer Opportunities”. The Technical Society is moving to increase its effectiveness in serving the technical community by providing opportunities for community service and this will be an opportunity to learn about an organization that is working toward a similar goal.

Volunteer Knoxville was founded in 2014 to connect volunteers to quality volunteer opportunities, build capacity for local volunteer programs and promote volunteering in the greater Knoxville region. The Volunteer Center manages a community-wide volunteer website, VolunteerKnoxville.org, and mobilizes volunteers to meet local volunteer program needs.

Alexandra Brownfield describes herself as Wife, Mother & Humanitarian and creator of ‪#STLVolunteer(a twitter site). She previously worked for the United Way of Greater St. Louis and Saint Louis Universityfrom which she also graduated. Her technology connection comes from her high school- Decatur Area Technical Academy.

Monday meetings

Where - Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive
When - Lunch buffet starts at 11:30 AM
Meeting starts at 11:55
Cost - $13.00
For more information, e-mail us at TechnicalSocietyofKnoxville@gmail.com

The Technical Society of Knoxville and its Mission

The Technical Society of Knoxville is a group of persons interested in technology and science, and their effects on society, and in particular, on the community. The Society was founded in 1921 by Charles E. Ferris, the first dean of the UT College of Engineering and a group of leading members of the community.
The hallmark of the Technical Society is its Monday Luncheon meeting. Every Monday, the program features a speaker on a subject of technical, scientific, or general interest. Forty-four meetings were held in 2009. It is estimated that some 3980 luncheon meetings have been held over the past 90 years. The presentations are planned to be informative and educational, and provide person to person contact with experts in the field. Meetings take place at the Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive in downtown Knoxville. Complimentary self parking is available in the hotel garage. Meeting attendees receive a token for exiting the garage without charge after the meeting. Members and guests begin arriving around 11:30am and go through the buffet line. Cost is $13 per person payable in cash or by check in the meeting room to the designated collector. Meetings are called to order at 11:50. After a brief transaction of Society business, the guest speaker is introduced. Normally, presentations take about 50 minutes. Time is usually available for questions from the audience. The meetings are adjourned at 1:00pm. Some programs are scheduled as professional development hours (PDH) to meet the State of Tennessee’s continuing education requirements for professional engineers. These PDHs consist of at least 50 minutes of prepared presentation with discussion reserved for the time after the meeting. The State Licensing Board does not pre-approve such hours and the TSK does not guarantee approval, but strictly meets the Board-specified requirements and issues a certificate of attendance. Monday meetings are announced in the Saturday’s or Sunday’s Knoxville News Sentinel Business Bulletins. Guests are welcome.
For more information contact the secretary, Bob Scott, at rrscott3@aol.com or 865-690-0705.